Track-switch.



Patented lune 3,'71902.

s. F. WEAVER.

TRACK SWITCH.

uppmmon med nm. 1o, 1902.)

(lo lodal.)

AVI/4 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SPENCER FULLERTON VEAVER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

TRACK-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No."701,781, dated June 3,1902. Application filed March 10, 1902. Serial No. 97,590. (No model.)

To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, SPENCER FULLERTON WEAVER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certainImprovements in Track- Switches, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to certain improvements in railway-switches, andmore particularly to an improved device for operating a switch from acar or other Vehicle passing over the same.

The object of my invention is to provide a device applicable to anordinary tongue-switch' for operating the same 4which may be actuated bymeans of mechanism under the control of the motorman or other operatorou a car approaching the switch.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of theabove-mentioned class which, while being of the greatestsirnplicity,shall at the same time be comparatively inexpensive to install andmaintain.

These objects I secure as hereinafter set forth, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a sectional elevationof a portion of the switch, showing my device applied thereto andindicating a car with its mechanism in position for operating the same.Fig. 2 is a side view of the operating mechanism carried by the car.Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation illustrating a somewhat simpler form ofmy invention. Fig. 4 is a plan view of a tongue-switch to which myimproved device is applied. Fig. 5 is an inverted plan view of thetongue illustrated in Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is an inverted plan view of aportion of a switchtongue, illustrating the application thereto of aslightly-different form of my device. Fig. 7 is a sectional elevation ofa portion of the switch illustrated in Fig. 4., taken on the line 7 7 ofsaid gure. Fig. 8 is a transverse sectional elevation of the switchshown in Fig. 3, taken on the line 8 8 of said figure; and Fig.- 9 isasectional elevation of a slightlymodified form of the structure shown inFig. 7.

In the above drawings, A is the body portion of a switch of anywell-known form, con- 5o sisting of the parts at and a', joined,respectively,.to the main and branch line tracks.

Ac enters a suitable cavityV in. the switchtongue, while the second pinc enters a cavity in the body portion A, this second pin beingpreferably located at a point substantially midway between the two endsof the lever. The above-mentioned pins c and c are not necessarily fixedto the lever C, as, if desired, either or both of them may be iixed inthe tongue and switch-body, respectively, so that they enter cavities inthe said lever C.

It will be noted that the lever C at its forward end is approximately ofthe same width as the switch-tongue; but at its rear end its sidesareextended laterally, so as to project beyond the said tongue, theselaterally-projecting portions being, as shown in Figs. l and 3, at alevel below that reached by the wheel-flanges of the car. I actuate thelever C,and through it the switch-point B,by means of adownwardly-projecting rod D, held to the body of the car and preferablyof the form shown in Fig. l. This bar is pivoted to a piece d, so as tobe free to move in a Vertical plane, this piece beingpreferablysupported by means ofv a bracket d', bolted to the under sideof the platform of the car and having attached to it a spring d2 inengagement with the said bar D. The tendency of the spring ,is to retainthe said bar in the elevated position, as indicated in Fig. l, althoughit is to be noted that since the piece d, to which said bar is pivoted,is movable on a vertical axis the said spring d2 will also operate toturn the bar to its normal position aftenit has been 'moved on saidaxis.

For depressing the bar D,.so that it will come into engagement with `thelever C: of my` device attached to a switch-tongue@ provide a rod E,which, in the formv of m'y device shown in Figs. 1 and 2, is pinned tosaid bar 'ICO and extends through an opening in the platform F of thecar, there being a small removable footpiece e, by which the rod E maybe operated by the foot of the motorman. In a simpler but less flexibleform of my invention I provide a rod D', passing through aballand-socket joint carried in a bracket d3, fastened to the body ofthe car, the said rod having at its upper end a head d4. A spring d5normally tends to retain this bar in its elevated position, it beingoperated, as before, by a footpiece e.

In operation the motorman of a car traveling in the direction of thearrow on Fig. 4 desiring to shift the switch-point B, so that the carwill continue on the straight track a, would depress the footpiece e onapproaching the switch, thereby bringing the end of the bar D to such alevel that it will enter the slot between the guard-rail a2 and the mainrail n.3, being guided thereinto by the outwardly-Haring end a4 of saidguard-rail. As the end of the bar D travels in the slot above mentionedit strikes the switch-point B and passes into the slot leading to thebranch track a. Before, however, the front wheels of the car have comeinto engagement with the point of the switch the end of the bar D hasengaged the laterally-extended end of the lever C, pivoted to the tongueor point of the switch, and has turned this piece on its pivot c. Suchmotion of said piece has through the pin c swung the switch-point B onits pivot b, thereby bringing it into position to guide the wheels ofthe car onto the main track a. After the switch-point has been turnedpressure on the footpiece e is removed and the bar D is returned to itsnormal elevated position by the spring c2. Should, however, thispressure not be relaxed soon enough and the switch-point tend tocontinue to travel in the slot of the branch track a', it would turn onthe axis formed by the piece d and be drawn out of the slot withoutdamage to any of its parts.

An action similar to the above would take place should the switch-pointbe in the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. l when it wasdesired for the car to travel on the branch track a.

If desired, the lever C, with its laterally-extended sides c2, may bereplaced by a lever of the form shown at C' in Fig. G. This latter isT-shaped in form and its laterally-extending members c3 enable the barsD or D to move the switch point without throwing them against theadjacent main rail.

While I preferably place the lever C in a recess in the switch point ortongue B, I may, if desired, form the recess in the body of the switch,as illustratedin Fig. 9. It is also obvious that while I have shown myinvention as applied to a switch having but a single tongue it may beapplied to the operation of a switch having two connected tongues, so

that the turning of the pivoted lever C will operate'said tonguessimultaneously.

I claim as my inventionl. In a switch-operating device, the combinationwith the fixed and the movable members of a switch, of a lever pivotedto the xed member and in engagement with the movable member, withmechanism to be carried by a car for engaging the lever and therebyoperating the said movable member of the switch, said lever being placedrelatively to the movable member so thatit projects in the rear of thepoint of said member and is engaged by said mechanism after the latterhas passed said point, substantially as described.

2. In a switch-operating device, the combination with the body of aswitch having a movable member pivoted thereto, of a lever pivoted bothto the body portion and to the movable member of the switch, andmechanism to be carried by a car for swinging said lever on one of itspivots, and thereby operating the movable member of the switch, saidlever being placed so that it is engaged by said mechanism after thislatter has passed the point of the movable member, substantially asdescribed.

3. The combination of a switch, including portions of a main and abranch track, a movable member therefor constructed to guide the wheelof a vehicle into either of said tracks, a lever pivoted to the body of'the switch having one of its ends in engagement with the said movablemember, and being placed so that the movable member projects beyond itat both ends, substantially as described.

4. The combination of a switch having a fixed and a movable member, alever under the movable member in engagement with the same and pivotedto the xed member, and a car carrying a pivoted rod with means forbringing said rod to a level to contact with the lever to operate themovable member of the switch, said lever being placed on the switch sothat the movable member extends beyond it at both ends, substantially asdescribed.

5. The combination of a switch having a fixed and a movable member, alever on the movable member in engagement with the same and pivoted tothe fixed member, and a car carrying a universally-movable rod, withmeans for normally retaining the rod in an elevated position, and meansfor depressing said rod at will to a level to contact with the lever,thereby operating the movable member of the switch, said lever beingplaced on the rear portion of the movable member, substantially asdescribed.

G. The combination of a switch including portions of a main and of abranch track, a movable member to the switch, a lever pivoted to thebody of said switch and engaging said movable member, so as to projectin the rear of the point thereof, said lever being constructed toproject to one side of the mov- IOO able membertoward the track forwhich said `In testimony whereof I have signed my member is placed, aear, and adevice thereon name to this specieation in the presence ofprovided with means whereby it may be two subscribing Witnesses.

caused to engage 'a projecting portion of said SPENCER FULLERTON WEAVER.5 lever and thereby set the movable member of l Witnesses:

the switch for the other of the two tracks, WILLIAM E. BRADLEY,

substantially as described. JOS. H. KLEIN.

